The Finals beta was a hit, and I already miss the destructive chaos

theverge.com:

By Tom Warren, a senior editor covering Microsoft, PC gaming, console, and tech. He founded WinRumors, a site dedicated to Microsoft news, before joining The Verge in 2012.

I’m a big first-person shooter fan, but I’m bored of the likes of Overwatch, Call of Duty, and Valorant. So when I saw The Finals, one of the hottest first-person shooters, blowing up on Steam and Twitch, I had to drop in and see what all of the hype was about. A week later, and I’m sad that the open beta has ended but glad that 7.5 million people got to experience the pure destructive chaos and joy that The Finals offers.

The Finals isn’t your typical shooter thanks to Battlefield-style building destruction. This destruction is the most impressive element of the game, which pits teams of three against each other in an objective-based arena where collecting cash is king. It’s also styled like a game show, so if you play the competitive modes, you have to qualify to progress like an actual competition.

You can shoot buildings, windows, floors, ceilings, and even explosive canisters to shape the combat around you. It’s the most impressive destruction technology that I’ve ever seen in a shooter, and because The Finals has game show events, there are often times when modifiers suddenly appear in-game so there’s low gravity or even more destruction damage. Coupled with a dynamic time of day and weather conditions, it’s a recipe for chaos that always feels different every time you play.

Unlike a battle royale, you don’t have to run around looting for good weapons and armor. You can create a loadout based on three classes — light, medium, and heavy — and each class has different abilities, weapons, and mobility. The light class lets you speed across the map